Research session on Wednesday 6th March

Session summary: The group met with Rosie Barker, a Community Learning Officer at Aston Hall and Birmingham Museums Trust. Dairymaid and housekeeper characters were created and interviewed by participants. Jenni’s research unearthed a poem about an eighteenth century servant that details the amount of pain a working woman was forced to endure.

The group began the session by conducting some research into seventeenth century working life. Rosie provided some key facts regarding servants, specifically those at Aston Hall:

*        Most of the staff at Aston Hall would have been male.

*        The highest male servant would have earned £30 a year and the highest female servant £27.

*        Only some servants would have been paid, the rest would work for bed and board. Servants relied on tips to supplement their income and though seventeenth century life seems extremely harsh in comparison to modern society, the servants would have viewed jobs at houses such as Aston Hall as an achievement and they did have the opportunity to move up the servant hierarchy. 

Rosie also brought some pictures and items to illustrate the realities of seventeenth century working life.   

17th Century wood ash and lime soap

Sheep fat candles

Pewter plate - the pewter will become the same colour as the spoon if cleaned and scrubbed enough.

The group then made a list of the staff positions a house like Aston Hall would have. They listed grooms, dairymaids, ale wives, gentleman servants, yeomen, falconers and gardeners.

Ali asked the group to pick a job from the positions listed to create a character. The occupation of dairymaid was chosen and participants decided she would be fifteen years old and named Mary Field. After learning that individuals could be hired at any age as long as they possessed the physical strength required for the role, participants decided Mary would have been working at Aston Hall since she was twelve and have been hired to work under somebody else. It was also suggested that Mary would have been responsible for making the butter and cheese, feeding the chickens and cleaning all the necessary equipment. Participants concluded that it would have been an extremely physically demanding role.

Rosie advised that Mary may not have done the milking, as a large house like Aston Hall would perhaps not have been able to keep as many cows as needed for the milk supply. The Hall was mainly self sufficient though as the estate could boast a fish pond, orchards, pigs and sheep. It was treats and unusual items such as wine and spices that would have been brought in from other suppliers. Rosie also identified the dairymaid’s working quarters as the courtyard where the café is now located. Mary would therefore not have needed to go up to the Hall itself. It was also suggested that her clothes would be dull and colourless.

Jenni also unearthed some research and discovered that an average servant in 1729 would be paid 6 or 8 pence a day. Jenni also found a poem written by Mary Collier in 1739 entitled ‘The Woman’s Labour.' This interesting poem details the pain and hardship of servant life. It brought to mind the inscription above the fireplace at Aston Hall. Servants definitely had to be “content to take some pain” if they were to succeed at their job.

Laura was then asked to take on the role of Mary the dairymaid and participants were invited to interview Mary. You can listen to the interview on our SoundCloud, simply click on the recording name: Laura as Mary the dairymaid. 

The character interview process was repeated with Rosie taking on the character of Elizabeth the housekeeper. Elizabeth detailed her employment responsibilities, Sir Thomas Holte’s expectations of his staff and working life at Aston Hall. Elizabeth explained how a housekeeper would have hoped to obtain financial security from the Holtes and to be cared for once she retired; however there were no guarantees that this would happen so staff were very much at the mercy of the Holtes. Rumours surrounding the cook’s death and the suicide of a young boy in Dick’s garret were also addressed with Elizabeth stressing her loyalty to Sir Thomas.  

You can listen to the interview on our SoundCloud, simply click on the recording name: Rosie as a seventeenth century housekeeper

Participants then interviewed Rosie and discovered how she became a Community Learning Officer at Aston Hall and Birmingham Museums Trust. She discussed her job role and how she engages the community with Aston Hall.

You can listen to the interview on our SoundCloud, simply click on the recording name: Interview with Rosie Barker, Learning Officer at Aston Hall and Birmingham Museums Trust.